July 22, 2009

Murdered Ukraine Journalist Suspect Found

There have been many journalists murdered in Ukraine and Russia and the authorities rarely, if ever, pursue justice because, well, they are the ones usually implicated. But the 2000 Gongadze murder may become an exception. A key suspect, Oleksiy Pukach, has been detained by the authorities and Gongadze's wife, shown in this family photo, believes he may confess his secrets in court confirming previous evidence, including an audio recording, which linked the murder to former president, Leonid Kuchma:

"Former president Kuchma has reason to be afraid. The head of his administration, Volodymyr Lytvyn, has reason to be afraid. Many ranks within the Interior Ministry have to be afraid. Because this was a serious, great camapign," she said. "Georgiy's murder was just one of the crimes committed by President Kuchma. And if Pukach really tells everything he knows, I think we can expect great discoveries."